1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the placement of auger type anchors into the earth and more particularly to an improved powered drive apparatus that partially or fully buries an auger type anchor into the earth. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for placing auger type anchors partially or fully below the earth's surface using a drive that both rotates and simultaneously is capable of pushing axially on, and guiding the anchor during installation. The drive uses a series of gear driven drive rollers that are each shaped to grip the outer surface of a square tubing with a rotary shaft inside the tubing and wherein a frame supports the gears and the drive rollers.
2. General Background of the Invention
Presently, a high torque drive mounted on a digger-derrick truck has been used to install auger type anchors in the utility industry. Auger type anchors are manually installed in remote areas (wetlands, swamps) using a handle or lever to rotate the anchor, since it is not possible to put very heavy equipment in such areas. This process is time consuming, labor intensive, and inefficient.
Some patents have issued that relate generally to a drilling apparatus, underground pipe or cable installation, vibratory earth boring systems, vibratory hammer/extractor devices, and methods of installing piling.
The Thiery et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,827 discloses an apparatus for drilling a bore hole with a drill tool driven in rotation by a motor suspended from the end of a drill column constituted by a flexible drill pipe.
The Gosselin U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,932 discloses a process that comprises progressively increasing the weight on the drill bit, determining the greatest value of the penetration rate of the drill bit during this period, progressively decreasing the weight on the drill bit when the penetration rate has reached a determined value and again progressively increasing the weight on the drill bit when the tension on the drill pipe has reached a fixed value. The passage from a period during which this weight decreased and vice-versa is achieved by varying the linear speed of the drill pipe at the ground surface, whereby the tension on the drill pipe is varied.
The Schosek U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,274 relates to a light weight underground pipe or cable installing device adapted to be used in a narrow and deep operating trench. The Rossfelder et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,748 discloses a vibrator system and a method for using a vibrator system to sink pipes or shape equipment. The prior art discussion contained in the '748 patent cites numerous patents and publications that relate in general to earth drilling, the sinking of piles, and pile driving.
The Staron et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,048 discloses a method of locating on drill pipe and ground recordings elementary corresponding to one in the same depth level of the drilling tool, and grouping these elementary recordings in pairs, and then in intercorrelating said recordings of the pairs so as to produce in respect of each pair a correlated signal which is representative of the acoustic energy produced and of the difference in travel times of the waves received on sensors from which the pair of recordings have been obtained.
A vibratory hammer and extractor apparatus is disclosed in the Warrington U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,740.
The Andreasson U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,926 relates to a pile which is intended to take compressive as well as tensile loads or to serve as a reinforcement member in soils. A pile is driven from a roller shaping unit by means of pressure in arbitrary directions into a mass of an earth layer. Upon attainment of the desired depth of penetration and/or pile length the pile is severed at or close to the upper surface of the earth layer.
A pile driving and/or pulling vibratory assembly with counter weights is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,964 issued to John White.